Little Falls transcript., 1887-03-11
IEEOHER DEATH-STRICKEN.
fhe Blow Came So Gradually It's seri-
BUSINESS Was Not Recognized
at First. Y

Mr. Beecher Unconscious Most Of the
Time and the End Almost Hourly >
~. Expected. h%*
STRICKEN DOWN. -
MR. BERCaER DYING.
NEw YORK, Special Telegram, March o.
The apoplectic stroke which the Rev. Henry
Ward Beecher's physicians have long feared.
same to-day with sudden and stsrtling ef-
ect There were, of course, preliminary
ymptoms runn1ng through Thursday and
Friday, but no one recognized In
hem anything but a trtf1ing illness, and
he blow came at last with the force
ind horror of an unexpected bolt There is,
In fact, little If any hope of the great preach
srs recovery He may linger until Sunday
morning or Monday, with even some con-
sciousness and show OF life, but beyond that
the doctors in attendance can at present
give no assurance, and at late hour to-
hight appearances indicated that Plymouth's
pastor would die on the Sabbath. Mr..
Beecher has been i'll since Thursday.
He had been in this city the greater
part of the day and went to his sons house
n Brooklyn late in the afternoon with q
feeling Of nausea By the time he reached
he house he seemed quite Frustrated. DR..
". S. Searle, who has been his family physi-
:ian for years. was summoned In addition
% nausea and headache the doctor found
Mr. Beecher suffering from a soreness about
The throat and chest to such an ex-
ient that he feared IN attack Of
pneumonia These symptoms quickly
passed away and he grew BETTER but when
he went to bed he complained of severe
pain In the head. After while he dropped
off to sleep, but awoke at intervals all
through the night Toward morning he
vomited considerably Mrs Beecher re-
NAMED in constant atte ndance upon him all
night After daylight he began to improve,
md by the time the doctor called he was
better: Through Friday his condition was
favorable, quieting all alarm felt by the
lanlily. He did not feel we'll enough to get
up, however, and was compelled to remain
away from the prayer meeting on Friday
aight
NUMEROUS INQUIRIES
were made about his illness after the meet
Ing, but as the family md physician felt
sure that everything would bs all right in .
few days, no general alarm was caused.
This morning, however, a sudden change for
the worse took place. It was Of such an
alarming character that DR.. William A. Ham
u,ond OF this city was hastily summoned He
and DR.. Searle made an examination, and de-
clared that Mr. Beecher was suffering from
an apoplectic attack He lay in a semi
comatose condition, but was reused by the
efforts of the doctors Neither consciousness
nor his unfailing sense of humor had quite
forsaken him.
Can you raise your arm. MIR, Beecher?" asked
Dr.. Hammond.
"Yes, guess So" came the low reply.
How high can you raise itp
We'll, high enough to hit YOU. doctor" said
the clergyman. with feeble smile.
He did not seem TO be suffering any pain,
and when approached by Mrs Beecher and
other members Of the family he looked up
as though he recognized them and knew
what was going on. Later on in the after
noon, however, he closed his eyes and sunk
into partial unconsciousness Mrs. Beecher
and DR.: Hammond We're standing by his
bedside discussing in whispers the
chances of saving his life, when
Mrs Beecher suddenly suggested
that perhaps her husband understood
what they were saying The doctor told her
to ask him, and bending low Mrs Beecher
said: Henry, Henry, do you know what we
hdAO aUout ION! MA DtcCu6I SeeLleu W
make supreme effort His lips unclosed,
and his breath came more quickly His right
hand opened and closed convulsiveiy
and at last murmur of words came forth
that fell upon ears strained to the utmost
But the eyes never opened: "Tou-were-say-
ing couid-not-recover-" was the dis
jointed sentence so painfully uttered. Then
A STRANGE THING HAPPENED.
The words seemed as if spoken in a dream,
but the shadow Of smile tuttered across
the noble mouth only to vanish into an
expression almost of Indifference The in
tonation of Mr. Beechers voice expressed
absolute Indifference. as If he spoke of the
chances of life and death Of an entire
stranger. There was neither hope nor hope
lessness; neither gladness or sorrow. These
were the last words he uttered The story
OF Mr.. Beecher's alarming condition was not
made known until after noon, and even then
it travelled slowly: There have been so
many groundless rumors about his health
within the last few years that few were dis
posed to credit what was said about it
to-day. A visit to his house in Hicks
street, however, showed that it was
true. The first bulletin was issued ut 8
o'clock. It was pinned to the front door,
Of apoplexy; that he was suffering no pain.
and that bulletins would be issued hourly
!! SUNDAY TELEGRAMs.
With the second visit Of Dr.. W. A. Ham
mond to the Plymouth pastors residence
Brooklyn. to- day. the last lingering hope OF
Mr. Beecher's recovery was abandoned Dr.
Hammond was driven to the house at 2:3O
| p. NJ He found his illustrious patient in a
state of profound coma So complete was
the paralysis OF the kenBorial nerves that
when the physician pinched the flesh of the
! left side until his nails met, MIR. Beechei
failed to evince the faintest evidence OF
pain. Even when DR.. Hammond lifted the
left eyelid and pressed with his finger the
! eyeball, the delicate muscles did not twitch
| similar experiment on the right eye, how.
ever, produced slight shrinking and mus
| cular contraction, but there was no evidence
| Of active sensihility. The act of swallow
ing wac attended with even greater diff
| Guilty than on Saturday and the desire foz
food was gone The throbbing of the heart
| was intermittent is, every third, fourth
Or fifth pulsation failed to complete its
action, and it was only question OF few
| hours before every second pulsation would
| be suspended until the heart was stilled for.
| ever.
| MI. Beecher viii never know this earth again,
| on hia return from Brooklyn: "he recognizes nc
one about him. and makes no responses Of any
kind to questions addressed 70 MIN"
! Does he feel any pain, or even physical dis.
uu1etude?" &
| None whatever: It is such death as would
| nke to su1er. only less protracted: blood YES
| Sci OF the brain has ruptured. This might have
| resulted from any sudden exertfon. not neces-
sariiy severe II the blood vessel was already worn
! by years OF mental activity that had ceas-
lessly kept the minute aud thre dixie tissues OF
the cerebrellum plethoric with blood. It Is true